Couples with fertility problems that might consider having in vitro fertilization treatment have a valuable resource in the SART success rate report. This study comes out annually. The report for IVF treatments performed in 2010 was just released.

Clinics collect their outcome data live births and report the outcomes of all IVF cycles to SART by November of the following year. SART then compiles the data and publishes it by about 3 months later. This allows the public to study IVF success rates or egg donation success rates for any specific clinic.

Not every IVF program in the US reports to SART but the large majority do. All clinics are required by law to turn in their outcome statistics to the CDC (US government). The CDC IVF report is then published annually with information on all clinics that follow federal law and give their data to CDC (some refuse to report it).

The CDC report on IVF clinic statistics is an excellent resource – but it comes out about 9 months later for any given year than the corresponding SART report.

Patients needing fertility treatments should investigate IVF success rates at clinics they are considering for treatment. Success rates vary dramatically between programs – do not assume that all centers are equally capable at getting you pregnant.

Although there can be many variables involved in success rates, the overall quality of the IVF program and the IVF laboratory are 2 of the most important factors impacting the chance of success.

The SART report shows clinic specific data on live birth outcomes that are categorized in several ways.

If a clinic that you are considering has low success rates compared to national averages or other clinics in your area – go to a clinic with higher success rates. It probably will give you a better chance to have a baby.

This report is a useful resource for couples pursuing fertility treatment. Success rates are significantly different between programs. When you go through an IVF cycle you are not getting the same treatment at every program.

It’s not like going out and buying a Jeep:

If there is a Jeep dealer closer to home, or a little cheaper – then a Jeep is a Jeep, so buy it there

However, IVF is not a commodity

IVF at one clinic may result in an average success rate of 25% while at another clinic it might be 60% for the same age group

In vitro fertilization at “Clinic A” does not equal IVF at “Clinic B” – so do your research

The clinics must turn in their data every year (to SART and the CDC) in November for the IVF cycles performed during the previous calendar year. SART then takes a few months to prepare the report and publish the results on the web.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), a US government agency, also publishes annual IVF success rate reports

However, release of the CDC report is delayed by about 8 to 10 months after the SART report

The CDC’s report is more comprehensive and includes more clinics with additional analysis of data beyond clinic success rates

The drawback of the CDC report is the additional delay before publication

To go to the 2009 SART report and check IVF live birth success rates for any SART member clinic, follow these steps:

Click next to “ART Data Report” (at the bottom) and that clinic’s IVF success results for 2009 will come up

Study the report in the area relevant to you – own eggs and age 40, or donor eggs, etc. If a clinic is missing from the SART or CDC reports it is probably a bad sign. Find out why they did not report – or go elsewhere. Buyer beware.

If you check the success rate information for a clinic you are considering for treatment and find that they are low compared to national averages or other clinics in your area – go to a clinic with higher success rates. It would likely increase your chance to have a baby with IVF.

A comparison of clinic success rates may not be meaningful because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches and entrance criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic.

Richard Sherbahn, MD is a fertility doctor practicing in the Chicago, Illinois area.
Connect with me on
Google+

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US government agency, has just released a preliminary version of its 2007 Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Report. It expects to release the final version in December.

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) released its version of the report on 2007 IVF cycles several months ago. However, clinics are not required by law to report to SART. They are required to report to the CDC. Therefore, the CDC report shows success rates for more clinics than the SART report does.

There were (as always) some fertility clinics that broke federal law and refused to report their data. These IVF clinics are referred to as “non-reporting clinics”. If fertility doctors will go so far as to break federal law to keep their IVF outcome statistics from the public – those “non-reporting clinics” most likely have very low success rates.